How a unique ally is fighting the spread of infection inside one SC hospital

LEXINGTON, SC (WOLO) – A recent report suggests that the overall risk of hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections is low, but that may be thanks to rigorous control measures.

However, the danger of acquiring any infection in a hospital is real. According to the World Health Organization, there are more hospital infection deaths than those from the flu, car accidents, and firearms.

One local hospital though is leading the way in the fight to cut down on a very real threat. It started well before the pandemic but the investment is paying off now.

Inside the newest patient rooms at Lexington Medical Center, the high-touch areas are made out of or covered in copper. It was a $300,000 project included in the 545,000 square foot hospital expansion in 2015.

When Mike Greeley, the Vice President of Operations, was presented with figures showing how copper can cut down on the spread of infections, he says it was a no-brainer.

“While you may have a housekeeper going in and out of a room twice a day, copper is there all the time and it never sleeps,” he remarked.

Research shows that copper ions can actively destroy germs and reduce the risk of infection, which is an unfortunate reality in many hospitals. The WHO says between 5% and 10% of patients admitted to hospitals in developed countries contract at least one hospital-acquired infection during their stay.

A worldwide pandemic has only intensified LMC’s focus on the mission to cut down on the spread of germs.

“We weren’t that foresightful,” Greeley admitted. “We don’t hope for a pandemic. We just did it because it was the right thing to do.”

It was also the expensive thing to do too. Copper costs about 30% more than traditional stainless steel or chrome. The project cost about $100,000 more than what it would have been using traditional materials.

While LMC didn’t put copper in place with COVID-19 in mind, it’s paying off during the pandemic. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, coronavirus only lives on copper for four hours, compared to 2 or 3 days on stainless steel.

Greeley added, “It was nice to know that we had done something that was going to absolutely help and not hurt and it affirmed what we did.”

Five years after the construction of the patient tower, Lexington Medical Center is going back and retrofitting the rest of its patient rooms with copper hardware. That work has started and is expected to be complete by mid 2021.

Copper isn’t the only thing working behind the scenes to cut down on the spread of infections like COVID-19. Each individual room can be turned into what’s called a negative pressure room. If an infection was discovered and the room needed to be quarantined, the HVAC system can create a lower pressure inside than in the halls around it. This results in the air from inside being unable to migrate into other areas. To read more about the negative pressure rooms, click here.